The plan was for injured defenseman Paul Martin to skate on his own during the Olympic break, rejoin the Devils' non-Olympians for practices late this week and then be ready to play Tuesday night in San Jose.

But Martin, who has been sidelined since suffering a fractured left forearm on Oct. 24 in Pittsburgh, will not make the western trip that also includes Calgary and Edmonton because he is still not allowed to shoot a puck.

"I'm pretty close, I think," Martin said Thursday at the Prudential Center, where he again was unable to practice with the team. "Originally the goal was to be back with the guys when they came back from the Olympic break. That was just me, I think. Wishful thinking.

"I'm getting almost all the range of motion back, but it's pretty weak. I've been in a cast since October. I'm just trying to get the muscle back and some more range of motion. I can't shoot pucks yet. I assume I'm probably not going on the trip, but I'd like to be ready to go when the guys come back."

He said hopes to play March 10 at home against the Rangers, but that is far from definite.

The injury, which cost Martin a chance to play for Team USA in the Vancouver Olympic Games, occurred when he was hit with a Bill Guerin shot in October. But it was the delay in seeking a second opinion on the injury that has Martin questioning himself.

Martin has missed 52 games.

"I wasn't happy about the way things went down. In hindsight, I probably would've done things different, but it's over," he admitted. "I could've been more aggressive as far as making sure that we had someone else looking at it. When you're hurt, you want to make sure. We have great doctors, but second opinions happen all the time."

He doesn't believe the right decisions were made the first time.

"We had someone else look at it, had surgery and everything is going good," Martin said. "I wish I had done that earlier. I could've been back in half the time.

"Ultimately you trust the decisions of the doctors and the staff we have here. But everyone is human. Everyone makes mistakes. That's just the way it is. It's not to blame one person or anyone. I'm partly to blame, too."

Because the bone did not heal properly on its own, surgery was required. Manhattan-based hand surgeon Dr. Charles Melone Jr. performed the operation on Dec. 22 in which he had to break the bone again, perform a bone graft and insert a titanium plate and screws.

"The callus heals from the previous injury and they have to re-break it and clean it up before they go back in," he said. "It's almost like starting over. That's definitely one of the most frustrating parts of this whole ordeal."

Although the cast is off, the forearm isn't strong enough to take shots.

"I'm sure I could," he said, "but I've been out this long and we want to make sure that it's right before I do start doing something like that. And I can tell that it's not ready to be taking slap shots yet. It's not strong enough. That's part of the doctor's orders. He's a specialist in that area for a reason.

"Everything is going good. It's progressing great. It's been eight weeks. From what (the doctor) told me, a lot of people take 10-12 weeks. Especially having it be like a second injury. The bone is almost completely healed. I see the X-rays every week. It's starting to look more like a regular bone. Seeing it every week, I can tell the difference. It's looking really good. As far as the strength, hopefully that will come fast. But I haven't done anything big with my left arm since October."

Martin is in the last season of his contract with the Devils.

"It's hard trying to stay positive through this whole thing," he said. "You're in a contract year, you're not able to play for your country in the Olympics. Those are definitely things that are important.

"First and foremost is to play here for the Devils. I always have been a Devil. I like it here and the guys here. I just want to play here. I just say that with this being a big year and wanting to perform. For me, I don't think that's going to be an issue. I've played in the league long enough. People know how I play and what I'm capable of. There's no reason why I can't get back to where I was, so I'm not really thinking about (the contract) at all. I just want to get back and help the team."

Martin was asked if the injury will hurt his chances at remaining with the Devils.

"I don't think it will make a huge difference. They know what I'm capable of. They know what type of player I am," Martin said. "It may be different as far as going somewhere else (where they) don't know if I'm back to normal. I think it will be good to get some games in before the end of the year just to show (he's back)."

Missing the Olympics was a major blow.

"Being able to go to the (2006 Olympics) and seeing everyone play, the next thing for me would have been to go and play myself. It's a little bit tough," Martin said. "And to see Zach (Parise) and Jamie (Langenbrunner) and other guys you play with, especially the U.S. team, which has been playing great.

"I want them to win the gold medal. At the same time, I wish I was there."

He said Team USA general manager Brian Burke has sent him some emails.

"I've gotten a couple of emails from Burkie, saying, 'We miss you. The team is doing well. We wish you were here.' It's nice, especially with what he's going through."

Burke's son was killed in a car accident just before the Olympics.

During the Olympic break Martin had his cast removed in New Jersey and he has been going through rehab and skating on his own back home in Minnesota. He returned to New Jersey this week.

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Martin said he's been seeing a doctor in the metropolitan area every week since his surgery. He said his time in Minnesota last week was "good mentally to get home and see some friends and family."